Sixers defeat Hornets 105-103: What worked and what didn't

Sixers defeat Hornets 105-103: What worked and what didn't

The Philadelphia 76ers had yet another tight finish against an Eastern Conference opponent. This time, the Sixers were on the right side of things at the final buzzer, as they topped the Charlotte Hornets 105-103 on Saturday night.

Behind Joel Embiid’s 27 points and 14 rebounds and Robert Covington’s superb outing, the Sixers moved back to .500 on the season.

Let’s take a look at what worked and what didn’t on this night.

What worked: Everything Robert Covington did

Covington notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6-11 from the field and knocking down 4-7 from behind the arc. The All-Defensive First-Teamer also blocked four shots and had two steals while playing a huge part in slowing down Hornets guard Kemba Walker.

Although Walker scored 37 points, he shot just 11-31 from the field and 3-15 from 3-point range. Not every ounce of credit goes to Covington for Walker’s poor shooting night, but he was impressive in this win on both ends.

What didn’t work: 3-point shooting of anyone not named Covington

As a team, the Sixers shot 35.7 percent from 3-point range, which isn’t atrocious (Charlotte shot 25.7 percent). But four of the team’s 10 made shots from behind the arc came from Covington. If you remove his stat line, the Sixers shot 6-21, good for 28.5 percent.

Among the players who struggled most from deep were Embiid (1-5) and Mike Muscala (0-3) while JJ Redick hit 3-8 and Dario Saric made 1-3.

What worked: Joel Embiid’s dominance down low

There’s no question Embiid needs to cut down the 3-point shooting a bit (1-5), but he was once again a complete force down low. The 24-year-old finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks while shooting 10-22 from the field. If he had opted against a few of those outside shots, he’d easily have shot above 50 percent.

What didn’t work: Ben Simmons’ shooting

Simmons attempted just one shot from outside the painted area, which came just behind the free throw line. He missed every shot outside the restricted area, as you can see from his shot chart, courtesy of ESPN.

Ben Simmons’ shot chart – ESPN

It just wasn’t his night when it came to finishing around the rim or getting close-range shots to fall. Simmons wrapped up the night making just five of 20 shots with 14 points but did knock down 4-6 free throws.

What worked: Effort of Sixers’ starters on the glass

The Sixers won the rebounding battle 56-48 and the Hornets had just one player in double digits. Philly’s starters combined for 47 rebounds by themselves, with three players totaling 10 or more and Saric not far behind with seven.

Muscala added a nice presence off the bench with six rebounds in 17 minutes. The Hornets just had no answer down low for the Sixers.